Toni Stone

1. Toni Stone Marcenia Lyle

2. Toni Stone • Born: July 17, 1931Died: Nov. 2, 1996 • Toni Stone maybe one of the best ballplayers you've never heard of. • As a teenager she played with the local boy's teams,in St.Paul, Minnesota. • She was inducted into the Women's Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.

3. Toni Stone • She began her career with the San Francisco Sea Lions (1949) and the New Orleans Creoles (1949-1952). She was signed by Syd Pollack, owner of the Indianapolis Clowns in 1953. • In the 1953 season, Stone appeared in 50 games and hit .243. Stone was sold to the Kansas City Monarchs prior to the 1954 season and retired the following the season.

4. Amazing • In 1953, the Indianapolis Clowns, signed Stone to play second base, a position that had been recently vacated when the Boston Braves signed Hank Aaron. This contract made Stone the first woman to play in the Negro Leagues.

5. Catching the Moon The spirited story of Marcenia Lyle, the African American girl who grew up to become "Toni Stone," the first woman to play for a professional baseball team. Full of warmth and youthful energy, Catching the Moon is the story of the girl who grew up to become the first woman to play for an all-male professional baseball team. Readers everywhere will be inspired by her courage to dream and determination to succeed.

6. Loving Baseball If there was anything in the world better than playing baseball, Marcenia Lyle didn't know what it was. As a young girl in the 1930s, she chased down fly balls and stole bases, and dreamed of one day playing professional ball. With spirit, spunk, and a great passion for the sport, Marcenia struggled to overcome the objections of family, friends, and coaches, who felt a girl had no place in the field. When she finally won a position in a baseball summer camp sponsored by the St. Louis Cardinals, Marcenia was on her way to catching her dream.

7. Her Story "I loved my trousers, my jeans. I love cars. Most of all I loved to ride horses with no saddles. I wasn't classified. People weren't ready for me." She told Erin Egan of Sports Illustrated for Kids that in the 1920s "a girl going to play ball was a disgrace to society." Despite the obstacles, Stone was determined to play baseball. At the age of ten, she played in a league sponsored by Wheaties cereal for youngsters who had collected enough box tops. She soon joined the Catholic Midget League, which was similar to today's Little League. She eventually played with the Girls Highlex Softball Club in St. Paul, Minnesota and, at age fifteen, began playing with a semi-professional men's team, the St. Paul Giants. Her mother, a beautician, and her father, a barber, couldn't understand her interest in baseball, but supported her nonetheless.

8. Her Story Stone expressed interest in playing for the St. Paul Saints, a minor league team near her home, but was denied. Undaunted, she pressured the team's manager, Gabby Street, until he gave her an opportunity to try out for the team. Street, a former major league catcher for the Washington Senators and a manager for the St. Louis Cardinals, was so impressed with Stone's abilities that he bought her some spikes and invited her to his baseball camp. Following her graduation from Roosevelt High School "Arriving with less than a dollar in her pocket, Lyle found herself a job, a place to live, and a baseball team--all before finding her sister."

9. Her Story "In baseball," Stone remarked, "I was accepted for who I was and what I could produce." San Francisco Sea Lions black team Stone batted .280 and won a spot on the Negro League's All Star team. During her tenure with the Clowns, Stone recorded the only hit off legendary pitcher Satchel Paige. During the fifty games Stone played for the Clowns, she was able to maintain a .243 batting average.

10. Her Story She moved back to Oakland, worked as a nurse, and took care of her husband until his death at age 103, in 1987. Despite her retirement from the Negro Leagues, Stone continued to play sandlot and pickup games with California American Legion teams until she was sixty-two. it has only been in recent years that she has been recognized for her contributions to baseball. In 1985, she was inducted into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame. Five years later, in 1990, Stone was honored on television's This Week In Baseball. St. Paul, Minnesota, her hometown, proclaimed March 6, 1990 as "Toni Stone Day." In 1991, the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York paid homage to Stone and seventy-two male players from the Negro Leagues.

11. Answer the Questions • 1. Toni Stone enjoyed playing what sport? • A. Football • B. Soccer • C. Baseball • D. Basketball

12. 2. You can decide from this story that you can? • A. Grow up to be whatever you choose to be. • B. Grow up and be what your parents want you to be. • C. Grow up and be what your friends want you to be. • D. Grow up and be disappointed by life.

13. 3. What was Toni Stone’s real name? • A. Marcenia Lyle • B. Oprah Winfrey • C. Raven Baxter • D. C.J. Walker

14. 4. Which statement is an opinion? • A. Baseball is a sport. • B. Girls can play baseball. • C. Boys can play baseball. • D. Boys can play baseball better than girls.

15. 5. Toni Stone had determination which means that? • A. She was easily confused. • B. She had a firm purpose in a fixed direction. • C. She was quick to change her mind. • D. A and C are correct.

16. 6. Catching the Moon is a book that most likely tells about? • A. The courage to dream. • B. The determination to succeed. • C. A girl that loved to play baseball. • D. A, B, and C are correct.